Longtime journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner Les Payne dies

NEW YORK: Longtime New York journalist Les Payne has died at age 76. Payne's family confirmed his death to Newsday, where he worked for nearly four decades, rising through the ranks from reporter to associate managing editor. The newspaper reports today that Payne died unexpectedly Monday night at his home in Harlem. Newsday Editor Deborah Henley says Payne established a standard of journalistic excellence that has been "a beacon for all who have come after him." Payne oversaw foreign and national coverage, was an editor of New York Newsday and wrote a column.